Rich Mullins (CD) Brothers Keeper

Share this:

I love Rich Mullins, and I have great respect for him and his work. It is so unfortunate that God took him so soon, because more than ever we need his brutal honesty and unconditional love for Christian and non-Christian alike.

Brother's Keeper is another fine, fine album from Rich Mullins. It is not my favorite album, but then how do you compare with a greatest hits album like Songs or an album like A Liturgy, A Legacy? Some of the songs you have probably heard elsewhere if you have other Rich albums. However, there are some major gems in here such as The Hatching of a Heart and Cry the Name. The songs are very personal and deal with such topics as heartbreak, learning to get rid of the mask and let God's love in, moving from looking good on the outside to being transformed from the inside, and others. Damascus Road is probably one of the best Christian pop songs ever, effortlessly blending deep metaphor and an exciting melody. This was what Rich did so perfectly. His poetic talent and incredible Christlike heart just pour forth from these songs. In short, if you haven't ever listened to Rich Mullins, you need to do yourself a favor and buy one and soak it up. His songs will haunt you and delight you. If you have listened to other stuff of his, you will find this only adds to your collection of favorite songs. You will not be disappointed.

ABOUT RICH MULLINS

Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American Christian music singer and songwriter born in Richmond, Indiana. On September 19, 1997, Rich Mullins and his friend Mitch McVicker were traveling on I-39 north of Bloomington, Illinois to a benefit concert in Wichita, Kansas when his Jeep flipped over and that man we knew lost his life but his legend still is alive today as one of the greatest and most influential Christian artist of all time, next to only Keith Green and Larry Norman.

Rich's funeral was open to the public and was attended by a massive group of family and friends. He is buried in Ohio, alongside his baby brother who died as an infant and his father.

Between 1974-78, Mullins attended Cincinnati Bible College. He worked in a parking garage to help pay for his schooling. From 1975 -1978 he was also the Music Director and Youth Director at Erlanger United Methodist Church in nearby Erlanger, Kentucky.

In the mid-1980s he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to begin his professional recording career.

Mullins is best known for his worship songs "Step by Step" (later incorporated into his hit single "Sometimes by Step") and "Awesome God", both of which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. Some of his albums are also considered among Christian music's best, including Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One (1991) and A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band (1993). His music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon's Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, John Tesh, Chris Rice and Third Day.

In 1988, Mullins moved to Wichita, Kansas where, in 1991, he enrolled as a student at Friends University and lived with his best friend, David Strasser (a.k.a. Beaker). He graduated with a B.A. in Music Education on May 14, 1995 . After graduation, he and musician Mitch McVicker moved to a Navajo reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico to teach music to children. They lived in a hogan at the reservation until his death.

Rich Mullins is also remembered for his devotion to the Christian faith, which was often an inspiration to others. He was heavily influenced by St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). In 1997, he composed a musical called Canticle of the Plains, a retelling of the life of St. Francis set in the Old West.His biggest hits were the praise chorusesAwesome GodandStep by Step. Three of his albums are considered among Christian music's best:Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth(1988),The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume 1(1991) andA Liturgy, a Legacy & a Ragamuffin Band(1993). The posthumousThe Jesus Recordinclude one disc of demos he had recorded shortly before his death, and a second disc of recordings of the songs completed byThe Ragamuffin Band, several with guest vocalists.

Mullins often called St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) his hero. He modeled his life after St. Francis by showing great compassion towards the poor and adhering to a vow of poverty. In 1997, he composed a musical about the life of St. Francis set in the Old West titledCanticle of the Plains.

Mullins was seen as an enigma to the Christian music industry. Often barefoot, unshaven, and badly in need of a haircut, Mullins did not look like the average American Gospel music writer. He was very much at home among the non-Christians, and unafraid to name his own sin and inadequacies in public. This baffled some in the American Christian culture where he seemed an odd member. His lifestyle was unquestionably marked by devotion and discipline, yet his simultaneous refusal to subscribe to contemporary Christian "niceties" made him a bit of an uncomfortable presence in the Christian music culture. Although he achieved a significant amount of success on Christian radio, he never received a Dove Award until after his death.

Unlike most artists in Contemporary Christian music, Mullins did not consider his music his primary ministry, but rather a means to pay his bills. Instead, his ministry was the way he treated his neighbors, family, enemies, and those outside the church. Taking a vow of poverty, he accepted a small church salary and spent the last years of his life on a Navajo reservation teaching music to children.